Somewhere between chives and green garlic, these tender shoots are a great way to add a fresh garlicky bite to any dish. Garlic chives are a member of the Allium family, cousins of onions, leeks and garlic. Though fairly new to western cuisines, garlic chives are a staple in most of asia. They are commonly seen cut up and mixed with Pad Thai, or incorporated into any number of Chinese stir-fries. They can be found in most asian markets where produce is sold. I recently found them at our local Chinese grocery, which surprised me because exotic ingredients are infuriatingly difficult to come by in Barcelona!

The Chinese have been growing and cooking with garlic chives for at least 3,000 years (since the Chou dynasty – 1027 BC to 256 BC).) But the popularity of this graceful herb with the pretty white flowers extends beyond China. Japanese cooks call garlic chives “nira” and use them frequently in meat and seafood recipes. And many Asian cooks wouldn’t consider a noodle stir-fry complete without adding chopped fresh garlic chives for a bit of extra flavor.

With a cleaver or heavy chef’s knife cut chicken into large pieces. Cut chicken through bones into 2-inch pieces. In a large pot of boiling water blanch chicken 1 minute. In a colander drain chicken and rinse under cold water.

With flat side of cleaver or knife lightly smash ginger and scallions. In cleaned pot bring 10 cups water to a boil with chicken, gingerroot, scallions, rice wine or Sherry and simmer, uncovered, skimming froth occasionally, 2 hours. Pour broth through a fine strainer or chinois into a large heatproof bowl, setting the chicken aside to cool. Traditionally this soup would be served with just broth, noodles and vegetables, the meat reserved for another application. I like to serve it with some of the chicken in the bowl as well, it’s entirely up to you.

In the clean pot bring broth to a boil. Add noodles and boil, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in spinach and simmer, stirring once or twice, until spinach turns bright green and is just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in chives and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 1 minute. If you like, add some pieces of chicken meat during this re-heating process. I also like to finish each bowl with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

Whether hungover, or suffering from a common cold, this soup will definitely set you straight!

I thought I would post these pictures of amazing seafood. In Spain seafood is often served simply like this, just flash cooked on the flat top (plancha) with a little sea salt, then drizzled with garlic and parsley oil.

Perfection!

]]>https://cookingisculture.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/seafood-spanish-style/feed/0albondigakayaRazor Clams and Baby SquidRed PrawnsJapanese Sesame Grinderhttps://cookingisculture.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/japanese-sesame-grinder/
https://cookingisculture.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/japanese-sesame-grinder/#respondMon, 12 Apr 2010 16:44:52 +0000http://cookingisculture.wordpress.com/?p=30This sesame seed grinder from Japan is a great kitchen tool! It can also be used as a sea-salt grinder, oryou can combine sesame and salt to make Gomashio, a traditional Japanese seasoning of ground sesame and salt. You can purchase one here.

As you can see, we like to combine black and white sesame seeds for a nice color and flavor contrast.

Sesame seeds are incredibly healthful. They are a great source of iron, magnesium and calcium, as well as vitamins B and E. Sesame is widely used in cuisines all around the world, and is one of my personal favorite “universal staples”. In Hindu mythology the sesame seed represents immortality.

Xató (pronounced cha-tó, with the accent on the long o at the end) is a famous seasonal salad from the Penedés region of Catalonia in northern Spain. Xató starts appearing on menus around Catalonia in late winter/early spring as it’s principal ingredient frisee comes into season. The frisee is the only green leafy goody in this dish, which is rounded out by raw pieces of bacalao (salt cod), tuna preserved in olive oil, anchovies, olives and romesco sauce.

This is one of many dishes from various parts of Catalonia that embody a real sense of regional identity. It’s a symbol of the cuisine of the areas just south of Barcelona; the coastal village of Sitges, the upper and lower Penedés, an area renowned as well for some of the best and most prestigious wines in Catalonia. Xató is also absolutely delicious!

I find myself in a moment of change and possibility, and one of the fruits of this moment is the concept of this blog. I hope it will serve as a means of sharing some of the knowledge, wonders, tricks, observations, flavors and histories that I have accumulated after years of immersing myself in the vast universe of all things cooking and eating on planet Earth.